# Japan Considers Subsidies for AI Translation Exports > Source: > Published: 2026-06-29 21:00:00+00:00 Editorial analysis: For practitioners, a government subsidy program that encourages use of generative AI for translation would change localization economics, increase demand for robust evaluation and post-editing pipelines, and raise legal and quality-control requirements for deployed models. Reporting by The Yomiuri Shimbun and coverage in Polygon and Kotaku say Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is considering **11.5 billion yen** in subsidies to support overseas promotion for about **15** companies, including publishers such as **Shueisha**, **Kodansha**, **Square Enix**, and firms like **Bandai Namco** and streaming service **Crunchyroll**, according to those reports. The subsidies would reportedly cover half of the investment costs for overseas advertising, events, and translating works into foreign languages, and the program is linked in coverage to a government goal of ramping overseas sales toward **20 trillion yen** by 2033. Kotaku notes the METI has not formally announced the program.